Friday 29 September 2023

Psalm 103

Background

Today’s reading marks the feast of Michael and All Angels. Apart from Michael, who is referred to also in Daniel 10:13 and 21, and Jude 1:9, the only other chief angel named in the Bible is Gabriel. Michael acts in the book of Daniel as a heavenly champion for God’s people, and that is the role that is developed in this story where he defeats 'the dragon and his angels'.

The Book of Revelation uses vivid storytelling to portray its understanding that the struggles of life as we know it are related to the certain victory Christ will complete over the forces of evil, and that they therefore reflect a drama of cosmic scale.

The storybook character of the dragon is clearly equated with the real being (although some today dispute this) of the Devil and Satan (v. 9), who is also to be identified as represented by 'that ancient serpent' (Genesis 3:1) who tempted the first human couple to sin. That old story illustrates the function of Satan as a deceiver, and it is clearly stated in verse 9 that he deceives the whole world. Satan with the angels that support him are thrown out of heaven by Michael’s forces, and thrown down to earth, so explaining the turmoil and conflict that mark many human affairs, and which we must expect will continue (v. 12) although it will be for a limited time.

 The second half of the passage consists of a heavenly proclamation of the victory and the consequent accession of Christ. But now (v.10) Satan is characterised as the 'accuser', a role portrayed in Job chapters 1 and 2. The victory is now attributed not to Michael but to the 'blood of the Lamb', that is the sacrifice of Christ, along with the testimony of Christian martyrs to that event.

To Ponder:

• Are there stories from elsewhere than the Bible which help you to make sense of why there is such a mixture of good and evil in the world?
• It is doubtful that literal martyrdom will be offered to us, and testimony about 'the blood of the lamb' is not meaningful in itself; so applying verse 11 what might the word of our testimony look like as we join battle against evil?
• Is a day to celebrate the angels something that is valuable to you? What are the reasons for your answer?

Prayer

Jesus Christ, we praise you for your victory over all that threatens human flourishing and that of our home the earth. We thank you that we are never alone when we face evils, and that with heavenly support we can certainly overcome them. Amen.